Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 400: Pocket dimension factory

Chapter 400: Pocket dimension factory

Inside the pocket dimension factory was thick with the hum of machinery. Clanking of metal and the roll of gears echoing off the high, metallic walls. The space was vast, stretching out in all directions, filled with assembly lines that ran the length of the room. Workers—automatons, magical constructs, and a few human overseers—moved and completed their tasks. Conveyor belts carried finished products to loading stations, while old school muted screens monitored every part of the process.

Kazi Hossain walked through the factory with his hands behind his back. Beside him was David.

"Production on the telephones has come to a halt, just like we planned," David said, his voice carrying over the noise of the factory. "We’ve hit our target, so all that’s left is to ship them out to stores. We’ll start that next week."

"Good. Any issues regarding inventory storage?"

"Nope. The Steel Sharpener came over and helped create huge shelves."

Kazi smiled. "Out of his own good will?"

"Because I said I would need him for bigger projects."

Nicely done. David was growing into his role fast.

"You said you would talk to the stores?" David wanted to confirm.

"I did. The Sun Mall was out of the question. Prince Yuzin wouldn’t like it. He specifically instructed me to focus heavily on the Baishi Mall, which is what I’ve been doing. Scouting and picking people to help with marketing."

Dragging an envelope from his inventory, Kazi opened it and pulled out a large, detailed map of the Baishi Mall. Each store and stall was clearly marked, color-coded by size, product type, and customer traffic. His finger trailed across several key areas of the map, tapping lightly when he found stores of interest.

"Uh...dude."

"What’s up?"

"The map is floating." They were still walking and yet the map hovered near them, never too far.

"Magic, duh. Something I picked up from the books I read." Kazi rolled his neck. "Really great for when you want to read in bed."

David’s mouth opened and closed. "You gotta teach me that."

"Next time. Look here," Kazi said, pointing to a group of stores on the third floor. "These get good foot traffic. People go there after buying electronics in the higher-end section above. Looks modern but is affordable."

"So like...trickle-down mobility? Rich people think its cool and they buy it. Poor people want to be rich so they buy it?"

"Precisely." He moved his finger down to a cluster on the ground floor, where clothing brands reigned supreme. "I talked to the people here. Their fabric is high-quality but they live risky lives. Any week where they don’t sell fabric could ruin everything."

"Not following."

"When it comes to fabric, especially high-quality, you need talent and time. And unfortunately, money does not wait for talent or time. It’s a hyper competitive scene there."

"Meaning...?"

"Basic marketing. We pay these people to speak positively about our product. Or, if we want to take it a step further, we could sponsor them. Buuut that might be inefficient. Better to pay for temporary services rather than go all in for sponsorship."

David went with an, "Ohh."

For the first time since they’d started walking, Kazi’s gaze shifted away from the map and toward the factory floor. Rows of rotary phones lay stacked in crates, ready to be carried to the storage area.

Rotary home phones were finished production. What next?

"Oh, by the way, I don’t think I mentioned the cameras, right?"

Kazi eyed the home phones and then David. "I figured it out. A request from Prince Yuzin, I’m guessing?"

"Yes. Allegedly, this is being done to appease Prince Yuzin’s older brother, Prince Akina."

"Prince Pig?"

David coughed into laughter. "E-excuse me, what?"

"Prince Pig," Kazi repeated. "Akina means ’pig’ in Manchu."

"O-okay..."

Silently, David was asking, "Are you fucking with me?"

Kazi telekinetically rolled up the floating map and placed it into his inventory. He got right to explaining, "Prince Pig is the son of the Kangxi Emperor carried over from Earth. One of three that arrived here. He was supposed to be the next Emperor after the Kangxi Emperor and was favoured by many officials for it. Alas, he lost the title to the fourth brother who went on to become the Yongzheng Emperor. He ended up becoming a pig."

Hence Prince Pig.

"Well, uh, Prince Pig," David almost laughed again, "wants cameras produced in large quantities. I’m not entirely sure why, but we’re set up for it now. I decided to use the glass and materials from our batch of flip-phones."

Kazi beamed at him. "Excellent call again."

"It is my job."

Kazi then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This little favour will put us in a good light. We’re not just fast or single-minded, we’re flexible."

For the rich, that was the greatest of qualities.

"Ah, good. I thought I made a mistake. The prince is really intimidating."

"David, you made the absolute best choice," Kazi praised. "Keep doing what you’re doing."

"Thanks. Really, thank you. I sometimes still feel like a fraud though, haha "

"Everyone does. You’ll get used to it."

"Oh, that reminds me..." David said. "What about the letter? Did we get the Shipping Birds?"

To ship from here to the Nebulous Bazaar meant to cross dimensions. The most effective way to do that was the Dove Birds, creatures tamed and sold by the company run by Lady Fatima. Lady Fatima who was the Caliph’s first wife and she logically had a staunch connection to the Alhambra Guardian’s bank.

That letter Prince Yuzin wrote on behalf of Kazi was for that. To inform them Kazi was a VIP and he needed three hundred Dove Birds.

"The loan is approved. Three hundred birds for the next three months every week. They can carry about a dozen boxes each, so the entire shipment will be out of here and delivered to the Nebulous Bazaar in a couple hours."

David pumped a fist. "Nice! With the shipping handled, we can focus on the launch. Make the packaging nice and easy. People will love it!"

Indeed they will.